The Catholic Church in Washington has been hit hard by the D.C. Council’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in the the nation’s capital city. In order to be in compliance with the new law, which failed to provide satisfactory religious exemptions for the Catholic Church, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington had to end it’s 80 year old foster care program, much as Catholic Charities of Boston was forced to endit’s adoption ministry in 2006.
The DC Council’s refusal to accommodate the Church’s position on this issue has also forced Catholic Charities to change its employee benefits package. Because of the new law, Catholic Charities will not offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan.